Things have been happening fast in the life of wannabe TV news guy A.J. Clemente, and not in a good way. No sooner did he get his big break in the business — landing a job as weekend co-anchor on Bismarck, N.D., station KFYR-TV — when he screwed it up in his first two seconds on-air with a couple of expletives, became a viral video joke … and according to a report by TMZ.com, got himself fired.

We reported earlier today on his unfortunate on-air incident, which you can read about here. Click to that story to see the video of Clemente’s first-day disaster.

TMZ reports: “A.J.’s superiors didn’t waste any time cutting him loose — he tweeted this morning, saying he’d been canned over the flub. He wrote, ‘Rookie mistake. I’m a free agent. Can’t help but laugh at myself and stay positive. Wish i didnt trip over my “Freaking Shoes” out of the gate.’"

Clemente’s story has been picked up by hundreds of media outlets, with the video clip rapidly gaining momentum on YouTube and other Internet sites.

Adds TMZ: "Welcome to the viral video hall of fame, pal.”

Meanwhile, Fox News reports that Clemente has been gaining support online. Users added comments on the station’s Facebook page urging KFYR to keep him in the lineup.

One user wrote: “While this is definitely spreading across the country, please consider not firing him. The kid screwed up big time, but he shouldn’t have to have his early career ruined because of it, especially after moving all the way to North Dakota from West Virginia.”

Another wrote: “I really don’t think suspension is going to help anything. The kid is super green, and he needs practice more than anything. If you yank him off the air immediately, that’s going to create a huge obstacle for him to climb. You hired him. He needs to know he has the support of his station when he makes a mistake. Not to have the carpet pulled out beneath him. Get him back on the air, so he can learn from this and get better.”